High-Speed Rail Breaks Ground Between Delice and Çorum

Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu announced that the groundbreaking ceremony for the 120-kilometer Delice–Çorum section of the Ankara–Kırıkkale–Çorum–Samsun High-Speed Railway Project has been held. He emphasized that this line represents a major milestone in establishing a north-south high-speed railway corridor in Türkiye.

The project, which starts in Delice and will extend through Çorum and Merzifon to Samsun, covers a total of 293 kilometers. The first phase, the Delice–Çorum section, is designed for speeds of up to 200 km/h. “This project, connecting the heart of Anatolia with the Black Sea, will go down in history as the first high-speed passenger rail line extending from Ankara to Türkiye’s northern regions,” said Uraloğlu.

The 120-kilometer Delice–Çorum segment will include 8 bored tunnels, 26 bridges and viaducts, 16 overpasses, and 84 underpasses. Additionally, a siding will be constructed in Alacahöyük, along with five stations: Delice Passenger and Freight Station, Sungurlu OSB Freight Station, Sungurlu Passenger Station, Çorum Freight Station, and Çorum Passenger Station.

Minister Uraloğlu noted that the route will be integrated with the Samsun–Sarp High-Speed Railway Project, forming a continuous corridor from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean, reaching as far as Mersin Port. Once completed, cities including Rize, Trabzon, Giresun, Ordu, Amasya, Çorum, Kırşehir, Aksaray, Niğde, and Mersin will become part of the national high-speed rail network centered in Ankara.

When the entire line is operational:

• Travel time between Çorum and Ankara will be reduced to 1 hour 15 minutes,
• Travel time between Ankara and Samsun will be shortened to just 2.5 hours.

With an annual capacity of 12 million passengers and 14 million tons of freight, the project will offer a fast, eco-friendly, and high-capacity transportation link, enabling the Black Sea’s commercial goods to efficiently reach Mediterranean ports. Approximately 8 million citizens will gain direct access to the comfort and convenience of high-speed rail travel.